Evaluation of Enzyme‐Linked lmmunosorbent Assay for Detection of Molds in Foods

Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect Al‐ternaria alternata, Geotrichum candidum , and Rhizopus stolonifer in processed fruit and vegetable products, bread, and cottage cheese. ELISA readings correlated with the amount of added mold and generally low backgrounds were obtained from control food samples. For bread and cottage cheese, the dilution factor affected the efficiency of the assay. Both viable and nonviable molds could be detected. The ELISA method gave results that correlated with those of the Howard mold count. The assay was relatively specific, although cross reaction was observed among some molds. The major antigenic components were polysaccharide in nature.